Hurricane Irma's eye-wall hits lower Florida Keys

Hurricane Irma's eyewall slammed into the lower Florida Keys on Sunday, lashing the island chain with fearsome wind gusts.

The eye of the Category 4 storm was 24 kilometers southeast of Key West, bringing winds up to 130 miles per hour and threatening dangerous storm surges.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" the National Weather Service in Key West had said, urging those who had not heeded dire warnings to evacuate to take shelter "now to protect your life!"

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The fierce winds of Hurricane Irma regained Category 4 strength with winds of 130 mph early Sunday, as the storm’s eyewall made its first landfall in the lower Florida Keys at about 7 a.m.

The massive storm already has caused hundreds of thousands of power outages across South Florida, its leading edge lashing several major population centers.